


You and I Will Travel Together (And You'll Like It)

by authoressjean



Series: The Bonds of Brotherhood [3]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: All sorts of food, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, And prostitutes, Because we all saw this coming right, Bees, Brotherhood, Brotherly Love, But Castiel's got it in hand, Cain's Bees, Castiel is a beekeeper, Castiel is longsuffering, Dean is Michael, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Gabriel is Gabriel, Gen, Humor, Hurt Gabriel, Light Angst, Lucifer Falls and Becomes Sam Winchester, Michael Falls and Becomes Dean Winchester, Michael and Lucifer are good siblings, Post-Season/Series 04 AU, Protective Castiel (Supernatural), Sam is Lucifer, Schmoop, Season/Series 05, Seriously this is fluffy angst, Slight reference to a panic attack, The road trip you never knew was a thing, Trauma, because of course, mentions of Castiel/Meg - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-19
Updated: 2020-06-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:54:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24797992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/authoressjean/pseuds/authoressjean
Summary: Post "We Will Always Go Together."With Sam and Dean taking a well-deserved break to find their equilibrium, Gabriel decides that he and Castiel are going to go on a road trip of their own. It'll be great. Awesome food, amazing places, and he won't try to keep track of his two older brothers while they travel on their own. Nope.But then Castiel gets involved and between Cain's bees, references to a certain female demon, and moving further and further east from Sam and Dean, Gabriel's just not sure how much an archangel can take.At the very least, he's going to demand fried food out of it.
Relationships: Castiel & Gabriel & Dean Winchester & Sam Winchester, Castiel & Gabriel (Supernatural), Dean Winchester & Sam Winchester, Gabriel & Dean Winchester, Gabriel & Lucifer & Michael & Raphael (Supernatural), Gabriel & Lucifer & Michael (Supernatural), Gabriel & Sam Winchester
Series: The Bonds of Brotherhood [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1476563
Comments: 91
Kudos: 138





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I am working on the next fic that comes after this but we all needed something a little more light-hearted. And yes there's angst but it's really not the point of this fic. I swear.
> 
> And we know that Gabriel was told not to take Castiel to a brothel by Sam, Dean, and Raphael all, but since when does Gabriel listen to them?
> 
> Also: this is not long. This is an interlude of hilarity and light angst and some stupidly cute brother moments. That's it. It does give some hefty references to what's coming in the next fic, though, so keep your eyes and ears peeled.

“You want to go _where_?”

“I know you heard me,” Castiel said irritably. “I don’t understand what about my request was difficult to understand.”

Gabriel pinched his nose. This road trip was starting to feel less like “let’s enjoy ourselves and pretend we might not lose two of the best angels we know” and more like “let’s discover how weird Castiel is.” Which, well. Had already been pretty weird.

“If we’re calculating ‘weird’ here, Gabriel, believe me, you’re worlds ahead of me.”

“Aw, you developed a sense of humor somewhere,” Gabriel drawled. “I’m so proud I could cry. Gimme a minute, I’m sure I can drag a tear or two out.”

“I could aid you in that,” Castiel commented, raising an eyebrow.

He got a wagged finger in his face for that. “See, this is why we don’t encourage you to hang out with demons. Bad influences. And Meg is definitely a bad influence.”

A small flush made its way across Castiel’s face. “I do not ‘hang out’ with a ‘bad influence’,” he said, finger quotes everywhere. “I’m merely ensuring she doesn’t cause more trouble. She’s an enemy and one we should keep a closer eye on.”

“Uh huh.” Still, they were getting off track. He decided to return to the main topic that had pulled them to stop at a rest area somewhere in the Midwest. One thousand, five hundred and thirty-six miles to the west, Sam and Dean had made it to the coast and were currently parked along a beach, just…sitting. Much as Gabriel and Castiel were doing at a table. One that looked like it hadn’t weathered well, now that he looked at it closer.

Anyway, main topic. “You want to go to Cain’s farm,” he said again, raising both eyebrows. “There a particular reason why, Cassie?”

“Cain’s bees will have no one to help them,” Castiel said. “While they are honey bees, they are accustomed to beings interacting with them and helping cultivate the flowers and other fauna for them to use as pollinators. Without a being around, I fear they will be lonely and their routine will be ruined.”

Because of course that’s what was most important here. The bees. Gabriel rolled his eyes so hard he was surprised Raphael didn’t hear them rocking around in their sockets. “Cassie, listen—"

“You asked where I wanted to go, and that’s where,” Castiel said stubbornly. “I assume you meant somewhere else.”

“There’s a million and one places that are far more fun than Cain’s bees,” Gabriel said. “Besides, that’s got a possible amount of demons to go with it, because I don’t exactly trust Crowley to keep demons out of things, and there’s always Abaddon who’s gone to ground, she could be there—"

“And it’s further east, taking us away from Dean and Sam.”

Gabriel went still. Castiel watched him with a very knowing gaze, damn him. He started to say something, then stopped, because what the hell could he say to that?

Castiel’s gaze softened. “We promised to give them time to figure out how they wanted to become angels again.”

“Or time to decide that’s not what they wanted after all,” Gabriel said, glaring. “It’s not like being angels has been good for either of them recently.”

“We also said we’d come see them from time to time,” Castiel pointed out. “And they agreed. You know they felt as wretched about leaving as we felt about leaving them. I know you felt that in their souls.”

He had. It still didn’t make it easier to think about, but he couldn’t deny Castiel’s words. “Yeah, well,” he said, and he left it at that.

He needed something else to do. He’d always done better with something to do. “Fine, we’ll go to Cain’s,” he said. “But just the once. Can’t you move the bees somewhere else?”

Castiel’s eyes narrowed. “No,” he said, and he didn’t elaborate.

Great. Two brothers slipping out of his reach and one that was determined to be a beekeeper. “Then let’s wing it,” he said, and they took off towards Missouri.

The entire house just felt…wrong. Gabriel shuddered and refused to step inside. “It reeks of demon,” he complained. “Just burn it to the ground.”

“You’d upset the bees,” Castiel explained patiently. “We can just cleanse it.”

Cleansing it was going to take time. Time that Gabriel would rather spend following Sam and Dean, who were now two-thousand, one hundred and three miles west of them. Still on the Oregon coastline, but they felt warm. Nothing hazardous going on, just two brothers on a road trip. Just like him and Cas.

Gabriel gritted his teeth and glanced around. The house was dusty, and no one had clearly been through it since they’d left Cain behind. They’d made sure to toast him before they left – leaving the first Knight of Hell’s body around was something sure to come back and bite them in the ass later – so there was no decaying body to deal with. Just the overarching sense of evil and wrong. It was making his Grace ill.

Honestly, he could just bulldoze the place over and put in something _much_ nicer. A little chocolate fountain here, a lazy chair there—

“No, Gabriel,” Castiel called from across the yard. Gabriel spun around on the porch and found Castiel shaking his head. “The house stays. We’ll cleanse it and it’ll be fine.”

“It was a demon den, Cassie,” Gabriel whined. “A demon den! No one wants a demon den!”

“It has very nice things in it that can be used,” Castiel said. “Someone is bound to want the place. Putting in a three-story modern architectural structure is going to draw all sorts of unwanted attention.”

Honestly, when had Cassie gotten to be such a stick in the mud? Maybe he’d always been that way. “I wouldn’t put in a three-story building,” Gabriel countered. Okay, maybe he’d been considering it, but the little building had some charm. He’d build something new with the same charm. Just…not this place.

“It’s a historic building, Gabriel. Leave it alone. And the construction would disturb the bees.”

“Okay, buzzkill, this road trip is officially boring.” Gabriel let out an extremely well-deserved large sigh and draped himself over the porch rail. Nope, still felt like demon. He rose up and shook out his arms in disgust. “Can we go do something else? I could teach you how to surf—”

“I have no interest in learning how to surf, but I would be amenable to visiting the Atlantic Ocean,” Castiel agreed. Gabriel began to reply, then stopped, because the Pacific was far superior for surfing but it was also far closer to two human brothers. And Castiel had just blown a hole in his plan.

Fine. At least the ocean was better than demon den with so much buzzing he could barely stand it. “Are you about done?” Gabriel asked, because while the bees weren’t his first choice, Castiel’s Grace was brimming with happiness. Of course. Dragging him away sort of felt cruel.

But Gabriel wanted five showers to shake off the gross feeling of Cain’s existence, and the bees seriously weren’t helping.

Thankfully, Castiel pulled himself away from the bee hives and stood in front of the porch. “They’re settled, now,” he said with a smile. “They should be content until I can return and see them again. Thank you, Gabriel.”

Gabriel shrugged. “As long as the bees are happy.” Bees and snarky demons: it was interesting what made Castiel’s engine tick. But hey, he wasn’t going to judge.

Castiel’s cheeks went pink. “Meg does not make my ‘engine tick’. Especially given that I don’t _have_ an engine. Or any sort of mechanical apparatus.”

“Oh, quit being a spoilsport. You know what I meant.” He fought the urge to glance behind him and through the house, over the miles, to where it felt like Dean and Sam had stopped for gas. The Impala was a guzzler. He should’ve fixed the car for them with infinite gas, he could stop in and do that—

He cleared his throat. “So, Atlantic Ocean?”

“I would enjoy seeing it with you,” Castiel said. It made something inside of Gabriel feel warm. This ridiculous kid, this amazing brother, and he just kept growing. It reminded him just why he’d wanted to spend more time with him.

“Then let’s do it,” Gabriel said. Hmm. What would be Cassie’s speed? “Cold or warm?”

Castiel frowned. “Um….I suppose asking the difference is the same as saying both…?”

Perfect. Ignoring the itch between his wings at the thought of putting even more miles between him and the Winchesters, Gabriel grinned. “We’ll start cold. Let’s see what you think of a moose. And I mean a real moose, not Sam.”

“I _have_ seen moose before.”

“It’s ‘meese’ by the way.”

“…no it’s not.”

“No, but you weren’t sure for a minute.”

“Because I trusted you. Apparently I’ve made a grievous error.”

“Yeah, you really did. It’s okay. I’ll only make you regret it a little.”


	2. Chapter 2

They went to Maine first and of course Castiel loved every minute of the small shoreline towns. Gabriel was all about the syrup and the lobster (not together, he wasn’t a monster), but all Castiel wanted to see were the tea shops and the fresh blueberries. They wound up staying late enough for them to stand and watch the galaxies float past in the night sky. Yeah, Gabriel could always see the Milky Way and then some, but it was nice to share the experience with others. Hearing the startled and delighted gasps of humans only made it that much more enjoyable. And he didn’t even need one of those little red night lights to find his way around, either.

Through the night sky, they ducked out into the ocean for a little bit, letting their wingtips trail in the water. A few dolphins came out to join them in the nearly full moon. Castiel’s Grace was a sight to behold out on the water, but it had its issues, too: with both of them apparently getting _too_ bright, they nearly sank a ship coming back in who’d mistaken them as a lighthouse. They wound up zipping back to shore and helping guide it to the harbor safely, and then Gabriel sank into the sand and laughed and laughed. Castiel finally succumbed to giggles and the sound was harmonious. Gabriel was pretty sure Heaven could hear them losing it on the beaches of Bar Harbor.

Maybe Dean and Sam could hear it, too. He was tempted to call them and see.

When morning came, they shrugged the dew off of their wings and took flight down the coast. They hit a few spots that Gabriel insisted were important, then a few that Castiel said that Sam had recommended. No clue when the hell Sam had done it, but Gabriel found himself swinging through a few small towns on the northern end of Boston, then a few historical sights inside Boston. Gabriel made Castiel play two truths and a lie about the founding fathers and wound up scandalizing a few tourists while he was at it.

What? It wasn’t his fault that some of the guys had been horrible drunks and eager to strip. They’d been growing a lot of things that were currently illegal to smoke, and it hadn’t been completely for monetary gain. He had a feeling that Sam would’ve appreciated that tidbit.

Dean too, probably. And Gabriel stopped playing the game and instead let Castiel read and observe for himself. He’d probably appreciate it more, anyway.

But then Castiel insisted they skip any more historical monuments and that they go straight to a boardwalk. “A boardwalk?” Gabriel asked, dumbfounded. “What the hell do you want at a boardwalk?”

“I know you were thinking of one,” Castiel said. “Something about fried foods.”

“Well, yeah, that’s the best part,” Gabriel began, still confused. “Lots of carnival rides, hot people in bikinis and speedos, but the food’s what you go to a boardwalk for. You don’t even like—”

“I like burgers,” Castiel insisted. “And I want to experience other things. Would you be willing to go with me and point out what else would taste like that?”

Put it like that, and there’s no way that Gabriel could say no to the kid. “Y’know, the west coast would have boardwalks too, not just the east coast. It wouldn’t take that much longer.”

But Castiel was already in flight, taking off further south. Gabriel rolled his eyes and shot off to lead the way.

They wound up in Ocean City, which was still too packed and crowded for Castiel’s comfort, so Gabriel nudged him away from the main section and hub of rides towards the end where there were plenty of food vendors and only a few cyclists and families heading back to their cars. Hot dogs and wings went with corn on the cob. Fried pickles were followed by fried cookies and then fried ice cream. Castiel gamely tried it all while Gabriel stuck with the sweeter side of things. Namely, cotton candy. Blue, his favorite, and he bought a pink one before he realized that Dean wasn’t there to eat it. It was his big brother’s favorite, and even though Sam would bitch about the sugar, he’d steal some when Dean wasn’t looking. And it wasn’t like Dean didn’t know, he’d deliberately look away to let Sam take some and stay all self-righteous about it—

The knot in his chest echoed all the way through his Grace. Because he remembered the way their Graces had lit up at the cotton candy, the way Lucifer hadn’t been able to hide his joy even while he’d insisted it was too sugary for him. It was how Michael had known to let him take some, letting his little brother pretend for the sake of the game.

The pink bag of cotton candy disappeared from his hands. “Thank you,” Castiel said. “I’ve wanted to try some.”

“How do you have any room left in that human sized belly?” Gabriel demanded. “Being an angel doesn’t burn that many calories that fast.”

“I’ve only taken bites,” Castiel said, rolling his eyes. “Honestly. How else was I going to try everything, stare at it and fantasize about how it tasted?”

“Meg is absolutely no good for you,” Gabriel declared. “Who said you could hang out with a demon? You’re setting a bad example for the younger angels.”

“Sidria happens to not mind Meg at all. And I’m fairly certain the bad influence comes down to _you_.”

Of course Sidria took Castiel’s side. Lucifer’s side, too, along with Anael. And somehow Zeke adored Luce just as much as the rest of them. Because Lucifer was a good being, a perception Raphael was working to restore in Heaven so if Dean and Sam became archangels again—

_When_ they became archangels again. When when when.

The cotton candy in his stomach made him want to vomit, and it’d been a long time since he’d done that. Not even getting blasted off by that damn sigil had turned him so inside out. Not even Asmodeus had made him so sick inside, and thinking about Asmodeus just made him think of Lucifer pinned to the wall, taking Gabriel’s place, telling Gabriel it’s okay, it’s all right, Gabriel, Gabriel—

Gabriel shuddered in a breath. Somehow, the bright lights and sounds of the boardwalk had faded into cool, blessed silence. The smell was familiar, the floor even more so, and Gabriel realized with a start that somehow they’d flown across the ocean and to his home in Norway. Moreover, he was on the floor, Castiel crouched in front of him.

Castiel’s face crinkled with obvious concern. “Can you hear me now? Gabriel?”

“How,” Gabriel began, and then he stopped because the voice that came out didn’t sound like his at all. He tried to clear his voice and try again. “How’d you get us here?”

“I flew,” Castiel said gently. “I flew as quickly as I dared. You just stopped eating and then your Grace went…very vivid.”

Oh he bet, full of memories he’d never wanted Castiel to have to see. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “Cassie, I’m sorry.”

Castiel shook his head. “I’m just glad that you’re better, now. I’d hoped somewhere safe would help. Though,” and he glanced behind him at a nearby rug that was burnt and charred, “I’m not sure how safe your home still is.”

“It was Raph,” Gabriel said, voice still like sandpaper. “S’fine.”

He got wide eyes for that. “Raphael did that?”

“Mm. He was pissed.” It was a light way of saying just how angry Raphael had been after their talk with Dad. For Raphael to have lost control like that…furious was a better word, maybe. Enraged. Angrier than Gabriel had ever seen him.

Gabriel tried to get his legs under him but Castiel simply moved around and sat down beside him. Somehow, the bag of blue cotton candy had come with them, and Castiel opened it up to taste it. “It’s no different than the pink one,” he finally declared. “Why are they different colors?”

“You heathen,” Gabriel said, and he couldn’t help but snort a laugh. “They are too different flavors.”

“They are not.”

“They are so.”

“You’re lying to me.”

“I can’t believe we’re arguing about this.”

“I can’t believe you’re lying to me about this. What flavor is it supposed to be?”  
“Blue raspberry. I think.”

Castiel made a face. “I’ve never seen blue raspberries in my life.”

His Grace felt warm and familiar, a hint of home that Gabriel leaned into. It made him think of Michael’s guiding hand on his back and Lucifer’s gentle wing nudging against his. His eyes burned.

“Is there anything good to eat in Norway?”

“You’re such a foodie,” Gabriel complained, but he snapped his fingers and the table suddenly filled with food. The best Norway could offer, at least, that he’d found. Complete with Fattigman and krumkake because it didn’t have to be the holidays to enjoy things, dammit. And he hadn’t gotten any funnel cake on the boardwalk.

Castiel stayed where he was, seated by Gabriel’s side, just waiting, and Heaven above but he loved the kid so much. “C’mon,” he said, and he managed to get to his feet. He stepped around the burned rug and decided he was going to get it framed, then gift it to Raphael. Because that sort of thing deserved to be memorialized.

After he had dessert. Well after.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I added prostitutes to the tag for this. Yes, there is a brothel involved. (You all saw this coming from the end of Always Go Together, right?)
> 
> No, it does not go down at all how you expect it to. Trust me.
> 
> And, finally, two Winchesters make an appearance.
> 
> *waves foreshadowing wand*

They didn’t mess around with Norway long. Castiel suggested they rest there and it was as good an idea as any, so Gabriel conceded the point and they hung out for the night where there were plenty of wards and no one to bother them.

The next morning, they got a text from Bobby. _Demons in Kentucky, can you handle it?_

Seemed like Bobby was trying to give the Winchesters some space, too. “How’s Kentucky sound?” Gabriel asked. “Apparently there’s a demon problem. Bobby sent us coordinates. It’s sort of cute.”

Castiel rolled his wings and smiled. “Then let’s go.”

The coordinates were almost cheating, in a way, because with a single snap Gabriel shot them from Norway to…

Oh, he had to be joking.

“What is a mammoth cave?” Castiel asked, frowning at the sign. “Is it a significantly large cave, or does it contain elephantine beasts of old?”

“It’s the name of the place,” Gabriel said, shaking his head, because ‘elephantine’? Seriously? Cassie was never going to get laid at the rate he was going.

“Perhaps I don’t _want_ to get laid,” Castiel said irritably. “Clearly, that thought hasn’t crossed your mind.”

“No one should die a virgin, Casanova,” Gabriel said. Up ahead, there was a faint feeling of dark energy, and it felt like oil, all slimy and hard to get off. Definitely demons.

It didn’t take much to deal with. Apparently two of the park rangers were possessed and luring people into the caves for ‘personal tours’ that involved a very messy ending. There wasn’t much that Gabriel could do about the three missing persons that were already on their way to Heaven but he _could_ do something about the young couple currently being led away from the tour group.

He stepped out in front of the demons and let his eyes glow with Grace. “Howdy,” he said cheerfully. “Pretty sure you’re not supposed to be up here causing trouble.”

“Trouble’s what we do best,” one of the rangers said, and his eyes flashed black.

“Does your King know about that?” Castiel replied. His Grace was coiled, ready to move.

The other park ranger, a young woman, just glared. “We don’t follow _him_. He’s an usurper to the throne. We would’ve followed Asmodeus, or even Lucifer, but they’re both out now.”

“That doesn’t mean we’re switching allegiances like underwear,” the first one added. “We have _some_ standards. Besides, there’s someone else who’s got a chance at the throne. Might be nice to have a Queen in charge.”

Abaddon. “I have no problem with a Queen over a King,” Gabriel said. His sword fell into his hand and he grinned, all fiery wrath. “But not _that_ Queen.”

With Castiel’s help, there was little blood or fanfare. In the end, two park rangers wound up with horrible headaches and no understanding of why they were off in a people-free zone of the cave, and a young couple who didn’t remember how they’d gotten lost. It wasn’t often that Gabriel liked wiping memories, but maybe a fight between two demons and two angels was one that deserved to _not_ be commemorated.

Dean would’ve agreed even while Sam would’ve said they could do it without them remembering—

Abaddon. Right. They needed to tell Raphael. Or someone else. Because if Crowley had demons dissenting, that was sort of an important thing to know.

Michael and Lucifer would’ve been people to tell, the most important people to tell. His big brothers could’ve handled it with ease.

He ground his fists into his eyes until he saw stars burst behind his very human eyeballs. Not. Helping.

“I called Bobby,” Castiel said, coming over to join him. Outside the cave, the trees were green and shady, giving them cover and a reason to be away from everyone else. Nature hiking or something. Point was, no one was bothering the two guys not with a tour group, and Gabriel didn’t have to use any Grace to do it. Especially since he’d had to use his Grace to boost the signals on both of their phones.

“And?”

“He said he’ll start sounding the alarm, as it were. I also called Raphael and told him that Abaddon is making a move. Or at least, demons are making a move on her behalf.”

She’d crawl out of the woodwork sooner rather than later, especially with Crowley on the throne. “We’ll find her. We’ll keep our ear to the ground. Every day demons, I can’t pinpoint unless I’m nearby, but her? She’ll light up your world like a…well, like a dark vacuum that isn’t very bright at all. Whatever. Point is, Cassie, we’ll know when she surfaces. We should probably tell Crowley, though.”

Castiel said nothing, and Gabriel shook his head. “And Meg, yes. You have it bad.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Castiel muttered.

It was enough to make Gabriel grin. “Yeah, yeah. We all know you have a thing for the demon. Samshine can tell you that that’s a bad idea—”

He stopped, his heart wrenching as the nickname fell from his lips. For a second, he realized he had no idea how far away they were, and he desperately cast his Grace out to find them. Where, where, _where—_

There. A little town just north of the California state line, almost twenty-five hundred miles away. He let out a breath and closed his eyes.

“We can’t stay here. There’s, um. Dark. It’s closing soon. I have somewhere else we should go.”

Gabriel opened his eyes at Castiel’s stiltedness and found his little brother with bright red spots on his cheeks. “What?” he asked, frowning.

Castiel took his arm and then they flew, and Gabriel was too puzzled to even think about figuring out where they were going, except that it was south, and then it was bright lights and really soft music and—

High-pitched giggles. Soft murmured coos. Lingerie that left little the imagination. Red lights twinkling around them.

What. The. Fuck.

“Castiel!” Gabriel hissed, eyes wide as he looked around. One of the nearby women blew him a kiss with a wink, and he felt Castiel nudge him from behind, which, _what_ was he doing? “What the hell are you doing?”

“You were demoralized about Dean and Sam,” Castiel said. “I decided you needed something to lift your spirits, so I brought you to this…den of iniquity.”

“ _You_ took _me_ to a brothel,” Gabriel said, and he slapped a hand over his face. No one was going to let him live this down. “Cassie, I appreciate it, really I do, because this is actually a classy place, all things considered, but—”

“Hey honey,” a voice purred, and Gabriel lowered his hand. The woman in front of him had curves in all the right places, and her lips turned up into a come-hither grin. This one was a professional. “First time?”

Oh _hell_ no. “His, yes,” Gabriel said, and he dragged Castiel forward. Castiel’s eyes went wide and Gabriel grinned. “Castiel needs someone to show him the ropes. He’s got someone he’s ‘wooing’ and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t know where anything is.”

The woman gave a fake pout. “Aw, sweetheart, don’t you worry. I’m no scientist or teacher, but I’m _very_ good with biology.”

“Gabriel,” Castiel stammered, eyes getting wider by the second, and Gabriel managed to smother his chuckle.

“Go keep yourself busy, Casanova – I’m gonna need some time with someone.” And the redhead in the corner in what barely counted as a devil costume was all sorts of tempting. He patted Castiel on the back and sauntered over. By the time he was halfway across the room she only had eyes for him, and she leaned into him when he put an arm around her waist. She smelled amazing, her soul bright and beautiful with a few dark patches of hurt. Sam’s soul had looked similar before—

Nope. He wasn’t thinking about his brothers right now. _Especially_ in the current situation that promised a very not-brother-friendly zone.

“How about being a little bad?” he asked her, and she only smiled all the more. Perfect.

Even as he headed to their room, he could hear Castiel sputtering, and it made his grin widen. He’d keep an eye on the kid’s Grace, make sure he didn’t get into too much trouble.

And he’d tell Meg just how much she owed him for this.

Hours later, Gabriel emerged, refreshed in a multitude of ways. It always helped to do what an angel did best: soothe a troubled soul. Hopefully Kate would wake feeling a lot better about her parents and the cousin who’d been a best friend before he’d enlisted. He closed his eyes and found Charles in Iraq, safe with his troop. A quick nudge encouraged the Marine to give his little cousin a call, whenever he got a chance to use the phone, just to check in on her. Maybe help further the conversation that her parents did love her, that they just felt overwhelmed by their own problems and worry for her.

It had settled his Grace, too, to be able to help a soul. It had also given him some clarity about…other things. Clarity he intended to help pass along to two brothers of his.

First, to see about the brother he had with him.

Whistling, he headed down the hallway and into another section with three red doors. Castiel’s Grace was easy to find behind one of them, as was the soul inside. The soul was quiet, clearly at peace…and asleep. With a grin he winged himself inside.

Castiel sat beside the heart-shaped bed. His biology teacher was tucked into bed, with sheets all the way up to her chin. Castiel looked up at him and glared at him, and Gabriel’s grin only widened. “Did you learn anything?” he asked innocently.

“I put her to bed, not like _that_ Gabriel, please, and no, I did _not_ learn anything about biology,” Castiel said firmly, but those two red spots high on his cheeks were back, and his Grace squirmed with clear embarrassment.

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. “Cassie, you know you can’t lie to me, right?”

“She may have…shared some explicit details suggesting various positions and the flexibility of certain limbs and body parts.” His Grace twisted in clear discomfort all the more. “I let her rest. She was exhausted. And she has another job in the morning that she’s using to pay for school. Sleep will help far more than her flexibility will.”

Of course. Gabriel snapped his fingers and left a tidy sum of cash next to the bed, then rested a hand on her forehead. No diseases, as clean as Kate, and her soul felt soothed. Castiel had done more than just put her to bed, too. And hopefully the cash sums that Gabriel had left for both women would help give them some breathing room for a bit. He had no judgement for those who wanted to do this sort of work, like they did. It was those who didn’t want to be in this situation that usually made his wrath come out against their ‘employers’ in a very fiery fashion.

“Do you know how many people you’ve helped?” Castiel asked quietly, watching him step away. “Where they are?”

“I remember every single one,” Gabriel admitted. There were a few bloodlines he’d followed through the years, especially the ones who’d needed a little extra love. Thousands, hundreds of thousands, he could see them all. Probably millions, but he hadn’t really taken a serious look at it. Not unless he had to.

He’d spent a lot of years _not_ helping, so. Yeah. It balanced out.

“Were you unnecessarily cruel?”

“Ask Sam,” Gabriel said bitterly. “I was in such a rush to make them remember that I almost broke him with a Groundhog Day scenario at the local Mystery Spot.” He didn’t know how Sam had so easily forgiven him for that. That was just Sam, though.

…That was Lucifer, too.

Castiel rose and rested a hand on Gabriel’s shoulder. “I had thought that your insistence to return to see Sam and Dean was because you worried about them and merely missed them. But I was wrong. You fear their choice. You fear losing them.”

Out loud, it sounded horrible, and Gabriel winced. “Cas—”

“He loves you,” Castiel said. “So does Dean.” He paused, then shook his head. “But you won’t believe me.”

“It’s not that—”

“Come with me.”

Before he could do anything, Castiel had hold of his arm, and they took off. The dark night sky flew past them, getting brighter and brighter as they went west.

Then they landed in a parking lot, the sun just going down, and right in front of them was a familiar black car and even more familiar souls. There was a little bit of surprise at their sudden arrival, and then Gabriel watched as both souls lit up in pure joy. His Grace went warm.

“Well, fancy meeting you two here,” Dean said with a grin. Beside him, leaning against the front of the hood, Sam just smiled.

“We got bored,” Castiel said with a shrug. Gabriel stepped forward, then took another step, then another, until he was there with his big brothers. Without hesitation they wrapped him in their embraces and he shut his eyes tight. Heaven above had he missed them. Seeing them from a distance was entirely different than seeing them with his own two, non-Grace eyeballs.

And they were still here. Still holding on to him as tightly as they could. Still loved him.

_I did tell you,_ Castiel sent to him, but it was with fondness. Gabriel gave him a quick shouldered nudge with his own Grace and felt Castiel brighten with the affection.

When he pulled back, Sam’s eyes were a little red but his smile was all the wider. Dean clapped him on the shoulder and while his grin remained the same, his soul spoke volumes of his joy. “So, what have you two been up to?” Dean said, and his voice sounded a little rough.

“We went to a brothel,” Gabriel said, and it was all he could do to not laugh at the sudden scandalized faces he got.

“Gabriel!”

“Dude, we warned you to _not_ take Cas—”

“Oh, it wasn’t my idea,” Gabriel said, relishing the moment. Behind him, Castiel’s face had suddenly gone red. “Someone else took _me_ there.”

It was absolutely worth it to see the Winchesters with eyes nearly bugging out of their heads as they stared at Castiel. Castiel shrugged awkwardly. “He was sad,” he said, a touch defensively. “I wanted to cheer him up.”

“Oh, _something_ went up,” Gabriel said gleefully, and wasn’t even surprised when Dean cuffed him on the shoulder and Sam smacked him up the back of his head. “What? I appreciated the sentiment!”

Dean shook his head, but he was starting to grin again. “Cas took _you_ to a brothel,” he said. “Will wonders never cease.”

Castiel sniffed primly. “It was the nicest den of iniquity I could find.”

Sam sputtered and lost it, folding over and laughing so hard he wheezed. Dean seemed to be laughing more at Sam’s reaction, and the pure amount of _joy_ from Sam was better than anything Gabriel could’ve asked for. This wasn’t the heartbroken, barely holding himself together man he’d seen last. This, this was Sam as he always should’ve been, the brightest soul Gabriel had ever seen, reminiscent of the brightest Grace that had ever existed.

This was his big brother.

When Sam finally managed to get his breathing back under control, wiping tears of mirth away, Dean just tugged at Gabriel until he had to follow. “C’mon, we found a really awesome popcorn shop. Just your speed. I bet you’ll find something even Death likes in here.”

“He’s not super particular,” Gabriel admitted as they started to walk together. “But he’s more of a foodie than he’ll admit.”

Sam snorted. “I still remember when ‘this killer truck’ was the definition of weird.”

“Oh trust me, we haven’t begun to plumb the depths of weird. I can do weird.”

“Please don’t,” Castiel said despairingly. “I took you to a brothel, I’d hoped that was ‘weird’ enough for you.”

“The fact that it was you made it more than weird, it made it awkward, kiddo. If it wasn’t me you’d dragged there, I could totally appreciate it more, too.”

Sam snorted out another laugh while Dean snickered, and Gabriel’s Grace glowed in response. They were alive. They were safe. They were _happy_.

And in that moment, he knew what he needed to do.


	4. Chapter 4

The sun had gone down an hour or so ago, settling over the water on the deep horizon. Somewhere, someone else was just starting to feel its warmth creeping over the edge of their windows, enough to stir them to their morning routine. Circling star – Dad had had a few good ideas.

The thought of Dad just about turned his mood upside down, so Gabriel roughly shoved the thought away. Not the time. Not now, when his night had been so damn good.

Popcorn had been followed up by the ice cream place a few blocks down. Sam had begged off, demanding “real food” or some such nonsense in between, so they’d gotten him a fish sandwich and one for Castiel who’d wanted to try it. The ice cream had nearly been followed up by a doughnut shop that had caught Gabriel’s eye, but they’d been closed for the evening. “Tomorrow morning,” Dean had promised, and Gabriel had clung to the promise of another day.

He stood now against the railing above the edge of the beach, eyes cast out over the Pacific. He had to focus on the stars above, or the creatures in the ocean, something with a very large amount of almost infinite possibilities, or else he’d have all of his attention on the big brother standing beside him, and that was going to end badly for everyone involved.

A few yards away, seated at an otherwise empty picnic table, Sam and Castiel were speaking in low tones. Castiel’s Grace seemed bright enough, and Sam’s soul never wavered in its intensity, so for now, Gabriel was content to let them speak without needing possible interruptions.

“Are you two going back to Cain’s?”

Gabriel shrugged. “No clue what Cassie wants to do. I think he’s looking forward to collecting more bees and keeping up with the hives. It’s the little things.”

Dean just grinned. “Hey, if it makes him happy, that’s cool. I mean, it’s not the same level as a brothel, but…”

“Oh, I’m pretty sure he’d prefer the bees to the birds and the bees,” Gabriel said. Dean just nudged him in the shoulder and Gabriel snorted. “You missed the look on his face when she promised she’d talk to him about biology. If I’d had a camera…”

“And you didn’t go rescue him,” Dean said, shaking his head. “That’s just cruel.” His grin belied his words, though. Like Gabriel couldn’t see the soul dancing in amusement.

There was still no Grace dancing with it, though. Gabriel took in a breath. “You two seem happy.”

Dean gave him a long look, one that felt like it was Michael measuring his Grace, watching him for what could be hidden beneath the surface. Gabriel let himself be as open as he could. Dean deserved that. Besides, he had a feeling he wasn’t going to be able to hide anything from him anyway.

Slowly Dean nodded. “Yeah. It’s been good. We’ve had a chance to talk about things. A _lot_ of things, not just recent events. Crap we should’ve talked about eons ago. For the first time in a long time, Sammy’s actually relaxed. He’s the little brother I remember without the world on his damn shoulders. I sort of figured, short of making a demon deal, I was never going to see that again.”

And more time would only yield even better results. Gabriel put his gaze out to the ocean again. Somewhere, there was a Great White off the shore, some seventy miles out. It was lazily moving through the waters, not really hungry, not really much of anything except keeping to itself. Sam would love to know about it.

Sam would possibly never be able to sense it again. And it was something that Gabriel thought he’d finally come to terms with.

“I want you two to be happy.”

Dean finally turned to Gabriel, giving him his full undivided attention. Gabriel swallowed and kept his head facing the beach and the ocean. “I mean that. You two have been through the wringer and I’m sick of watching you two get hurt or get torn apart. It’s more than I can stand. Seeing Sam so happy after what Asmodeus and Metatron did, I…”

A dolphin jumped out of the water in the moonlight. “It’s more than I ever thought I would see,” he admitted. “You, happy. Sam, happy. And if that’s as Sam and Dean, not Michael and Lucifer, then I’ll take it.”

“Gabe—”

He did turn then, and he knew his Grace was surging forward with his emotions, his eyes giving him away by going golden but dammit, this mattered. “But there’s more to be an angel than Heavenly politics. It’s watching out for the people on Earth, it’s helping them one soul at a time, it’s doing what you guys have been doing your entire human lives but on a grander scale. And you don’t have to be on all the time, I know you _can_ be, but you don’t _have_ to be. Screw Dad, you have a choice and that includes what you do as an archangel. It’s not an all-in or nothing-at-all scenario.”

Dean’s eyes widened. “Is that what He told you? That your choices were all or nothing? Because that’s _nowhere_ near what he told us.”

“Paraphrasing,” Gabriel said, aiming for dismissive and falling flat on his face, because of course Dad had given Dean and Sam alternate options. Dean’s face was starting to screw up in anger, and Gabriel waved him off. “I’m over it. Look, the point is, I think it’s crap. Raphael thinks it’s crap.” Had thought it more than crap, but getting into _that_ part of what had transpired wasn’t something he really wanted to do right then and there. “You guys have forged your own paths this entire way, and I don’t think it should stop here. You can be angels and still be yourselves. You can be humans and still be my brothers. You can be both of those options at once. And I want you to be both. I don’t want you to lose being Sam and Dean. I like Sam and Dean. I like Lucifer and Michael, too.”

For the first time in a very long time, Dean actually looked speechless. Gabriel let him sift it over and glanced back at the other two. Castiel looked concerned but Sam was already half out of his seat, moving towards them. Gabriel just shook his head and, after a moment, he sat back down. No Grace left, not really, but he could still sense his big brother in need.

They were still the big brothers Gabriel knew and needed. He got that now. And he was going to help them see that for themselves.

Dean cleared his throat. “I still don’t know when or where the Grace’ll come back,” he said cautiously. “You know that, right? Like, Father didn’t exactly lay out a map of how the hell to do that. We’re guessing here.”

A snort from behind them made them both turn to where Sam was staring at Castiel and grinning. Castiel himself was doing something with air quotes again. There was only so much help he could give the kid…

But Sam’s soul was bright and beautiful, and Gabriel smiled. “I’m pretty sure you’re on the right path. Sam looks better. A _lot_ better.”

“He is,” Dean agreed, watching Sam with a fond grin. “I haven’t seen him like this…ever. Snippets here and there, when we were growing up, but he’s making peace with what’s happened, who he is. And I told him I don’t care if it’s Sam or Lucifer or both: the first thing he is, above all else, is my little brother. Just like you are.”

“Sap,” Gabriel said, but he couldn’t stop his own smile from broadening. Dean just tugged him for a quick one-armed hug. His big brother, still by his side. It felt good. It felt okay to leave them again and let them keep healing, inside and out.

“So, the virgin dragged you to a brothel?”

Gabriel scowled and snapped his fingers. Dean started sputtering and pulling the bright red wig off. Just because Gabriel was feeling warm and fuzzy didn’t mean he was going to let Dean get away with being obnoxious.

Wait until Dean discovered what his t-shirt had been changed to. He was sort of looking forward to that. He’d probably have to warn Sam ahead of time if he actually wanted photographic evidence.

For now, he’d just enjoy the night air and his brothers by his side. It was a damn good night for it. They’d get doughnuts in the morning, and then they’d split. Gabriel would haul Castiel back to Cain’s and see about an actual cleansing spell before they moved on to help Singer with researching Abaddon. Sam and Dean would keep moving down the coast. They’d meet back up again and talk shop – maybe at Gabriel’s old place in Palo Alto. He’d wanted _somewhere_ close to keep an eye on Sam when he’d headed off for Stanford. If Sam was okay with being that close to Stanford, that was.

He’d float it by Sam in the morning. And then they’d split off for a little while.

This was good.

The doughnuts were delicious.

The powdered doughnut thrown his way by Dean had _not_ been deserved at all.

The picture that Sam had sent him, of a very outraged big brother in his “I’m a Virgin, Ask Me How” black t-shirt with pink glitter, was currently his phone’s wallpaper.

A text came through just as Gabriel was finishing adding the last of the cleansing components to the bowl. He glanced outside at Castiel out of habit and found his little brother still cheerfully tending to the bees. Safe and sound.

He turned back to the phone. _Sam says yes to meeting in Palo Alto. He also says you’re sneaky._

Gabriel just grinned. “You have no idea,” he said, and added yet another thing to talk with them about when they met up next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of foreshadowing, lots of hints, lots of moving into the third fic which I'm sort of aiming to be the last big one. Might have a few tiny fics randomly here and there, but the next fic is meant to wrap it all up. I'm aiming for an early fall release, so make sure you're subscribed to the series and/or me for updates.
> 
> Thanks y'all, you rock my socks.


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